I finally have enough cash to get my dream gun. I will use it for WV deer (small), but am buying it for a Western state Mule deer hunt in 2006. I will be moving up from my Rem 243. It weighs 6.5 lbs. I am considering 308, 270, and 270 wsm. The barrel length on the first two calibers is 20 7/8" vs. 24 3/8" on the WSM. I can reload. I am a big guy 74" 260lb but havent spent that much time shooting bigger guns. I would appreciate input from anyone experienced in those calibers.

Some of us just have to shoot a magnum. I am one of those. Every now and then I get over it and hunt with regular cartridges and I am in one of those modes these days. For instance I went with .30 cal as my small bore for about a decade and have now "corrected" it. What I am saying is that almost any reasonable cartridge will do the job.

In the specific case of the carbine barrels you mention in the 308 and 270 Win the longer 270 WSM will have more range and power as well it should.

As to avoiding flinching due to recoil and muzzle blast I think it depends on the person more than size. By taking reasonable precautions by using a recoil pad and ear protection you can avoid getting hurt.

Since your battery is just forming and you will hunt more at home than out West I would suggest the 308 carbine for now.

Here is a post by DJPaintles on the recoil from those rifles.

"Like Spad I own several Sako's. I also own a few Kimbers. Short of maybe a Colt Sauer there is nothing as smooth as a Sako M-75. The Kimbers are made a little tight to shoot well but a half hour or so of working the bolt back and forth will smooth them up as well as you will get about any American made production gun.
As far as accuracy is concerned they both shoot very well. Kimbers are light enough that I think that they can be difficult to shoot really well off the bench. I've had 5 model 8400's and every one has shot 3/4 minute or better to at least 200yds, a couple of them have shot much better than that, but I don't shoot that well every day in the Oklahoma Wind. Sako makes some heavier rifles that are easier to shoot well under normal conditions. To me the Kimbers compare directly to the Finnlites, which again are very accurate but can be a little more dificult to shoot well than their heavier models.
The things I like most about the Kimbers is the fit and the pretty wood some come with. I've yet to see a Sako with as nice a wood as I've seen on some standard Kimbers, and I had a Sako Deluxe and have check out a couple others. I also prefer the classic style stock of the Kimbers. I took both a Kimber 8400 300 WSM and a Finnlite 300 WSM to the range for a few friends to shoot. One relatively inexperienced shooter took 2 shots with the Finnlite and said he'd had enough of it and said it hurt him to shoot, but he shot a few 3 shot groups with the Kimber 8400 and said that it didn't bother him at all. All agreed that the Kimber was more comfortable to shoot than the Sako, due to the stock fit. They weigh about the same, had the same scope and shot the same round."

My friend, all of these calibers are great, and recoil couldn't be called stout. Recoil has nothing to do with physical size. I've goliaths turtle when struck with 7mm rem mags, and David's roll with .458's. Personally I0036$'d go with the 270WSM, but I hunt flat country.

if only the mentioned carts...i like the 270 over the 308 for hunting but the 308 is great for cheap military ammo...stay away from the wsm's for your first dream gun...welcome to the forum

have you considered the 30-06?

if you want to shoot it till your old and grey i would get a 30-06 in stainless and never look back

My two favorite guns are a Rem 700 SS BDL 270 win with 24" barrel and a Rem 600 308 win with a 18" barrel. They are both excelent guns and hammer whitetail. The 600 I use in the woods where 100 yd is a long shot. I use the 700 on pipe lines and bean feilds out to 400 yd. I caant remember having to shoot a deer twice and have never lost one with either gun, and I have had the 600 almost 30 years.

So I have loved and used both rounds for years.
If I remember right the Fin light has a 20 in barrel. I would go with the .308 win in the short tube. The velocity won't be affected as much as with either of the 270's and both relie heavly on velocity.
IMHO
Dr B

jtd,
owning both a 270Win and a 308Win, I do not see the point in making the 270 with a 20 7/8" barrel, it just doesnt make sense to me.
If those are your options, go 308 Win as it would not suffer from the short barrel, or the 270 WSM with a proper barrel lenght.

Personally, I would go for a gun in 270Win with at least 24" of barrel.

Regards

I have 2 Finnlites one in 270 Winchester and one in 300 WSM. IMHO you would probably be best served by the Finnlite in 270 WSM. The 270 WSM recoils a good bit less than the 300 so it probably won't be a big problem for you. In the Finnlite my 270 is more of a woods gun with it's short barrel, it still shoots great though and wouldn't hesitate for a second to make a longer shot with it, but I think that the longer barrel that comes with the WSM it balances slightly better for a longer shot. The shorter gun is quicker handling. With the longer barrel and a WSM vs Win you'll probably get about 300fps better out of the 270 WSM Finnlite vs a 270 Win Finnlite.
The 308 would be the shortest of the bunch and certainly is a great caliber but the I think that for the Mule Deer hunt you might appreciate the flatness of the 270 WSM.
So not really a bad choice among the three, but for what you said I think you'd like the 270 WSM the most. Good Luck let us know what you end up with.................DJ

Hi, Of the calibers you list I would choose the 308.
FWIW, when it came to buying a Finnlight I got one in 7mm-08. There's not a lot of difference between the 7mm-8 and the 308, I prefer the 7mm. You might want to consider it too.
In my opinion a 20 inch barrel is a bit short for the 270 it will go BANG when touched off.
What ever you choose, Good Luck

Thank you for all of your input. I have decided to go with the 308. The 270's barrel was too short. I like the ammo availabilty/cost of the 308 also. In addition, I believe the 308 will have less recoil than the 270 wsm. Next I want to see if my FFL friend can get a better price than $1260 that I saw in PA gun store. It will be topped by a 3x9 most likely.

jtd, 2 scopes I've had good luck with on .308's are a Kahles 2x7 TDS and the Swarovski 3-10AV TDS. With the 308 and 165-168gr bullets you just sight in at 100yds and the bars track out to 500yds. Both of these scopes are very light and excellent optically also. Good luck with the 308...................DJ